An idea that can quickly become a passion: fly fishing in the backcountry! It's alluring, the commune with nature. To meet with the primeval and learn her secrets has been the desire of man since the moment he left her warm embrace. However, it is no stroll in the park and taking the fishing into the wilderness can add some logistical concerns that are easily overcome but might need to be approached from a different angle.Fly fishing in the wilderness is an escape of the highest degree and we hope to give stories, tips, and advice so that it becomes more meaningful for everyone. As Henry David Thoreau said, "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." Hopefully you'll enjoy getting back to nature.The backcountry experience can vary, from a river that is fifteen miles in on a rocky, bumpy dirt road that you then need to hike a mile or more to get there to a week long excursion into bear country. Along this spectrum are some basic skills that everyone should be aware of and that's our hope, to give everyone the opportunity those basic skills so that they can enjoy the most of their time in the wilderness!Basic safety in the backcountry is going to be different that safety concerns when not in the backcountry! When you fall and potentially break your leg, it's a lot different when you have cell phone service and when you don't! First aid and emergency/survival prep and kits are basics that everyone that ventures into the backcountry should be aware of!! We'll cover this and try to give you plenty of resources to cover these basics!

Gear is different in the backcountry, when just getting back to your vehicle means miles of hiking and that thunderstorm hits without warning, do you have what you need to stay warm and dry? What about camping, are you going to be camping, did you buy the cheap camp stove at wally-world or are you going to want something that does the job a little bit better? We'll walk through gear and what you'll need to have a fun time in the wilderness.And more, from fishing techniques and advice to destinations that everyone should visit at least once, we'll try to make your trip into the backcountry the best one ever!As always, Good Luck and Guid Luck!!

Fly tying is nearly as rewardable as catching a fish on a fly, and catching a fish on a fly that you tied yourself is even more rewarding. However, fly tying can be an arduous undertaking for the neophyte, there’s a plethora of tools, materials, and techniques that are all mashed together to make something as simple as a brassie or as complicated as the Salmon Flies that are more a work of art than an actual representation of a living bug. The seeming intricacies of fly tying may seem too daunting for the beginner and they may actually give up before even trying, or never try something more complicated than that brassie or griffin’s gnat. Hopefully, we’ll dispel many of those fears, misconceptions, and get you tying right away.There are a few reasons that we prefer to tie our own flies versus purchasing them. They are in no particular order:1) Economical: Yes, getting into fly tying can be viewed as a fairly expensive hobby. There’s all the tools that you have to buy and then you have to buy the material. To start up, one single brassie seems to be a fairly expensive fly. However, that single brassie actually cost at the most, $0.45. Probably, more than half of what you would pay in an outdoor or fly shop. After a while, the tools have paid for themselves and you actually begin to save money with each fly. Remember, professional tyers do it to make money, which means it has to be cheaper to tie your own than it does to purchase them at the store.

2) Durability: How often have you had a fly come apart after the first or second fish that took it. Or even worse, after you handled and mashed it by tying it onto the end of your tippet. Unless the fly is super small, I always end up finishing the fly with two whip finishes instead of one. This small step just increases the durability of the fly and their longevity. 3) Customizability: This reason is one of my favorites. First, many people are creative and have many ideas to either update an older fly or create a brand new one that is going to be a fish magnet. Second, it allows you to get flies that you may not be able to purchase in your local shop. For example, I love fishing the Hotwire Prince Nymph, however, none of my local shops carry that fly. Being able to tie a custom fly truly expands the options that we have available to use on each waterway.We’ve found tying our own flies almost as rewarding as being out on the river and catching fish. Hopefully you’ll find the same, simple joy. As always, Good Luck and Guid Luck!!

One of the greatest pleasures of fly-fishing is when we get to take someone new and helping them get into the sport. This is doubly so when it’s a child, whether it be our own, a niece or nephew, or the neighbor and their children. However, its a different game when we take the little ones out fishing, the changes in the game become more frequent and elaborate the younger the children are. Right now we get to take out our three year old. He started going fishing with us when he was an infant and has continued to this day. Here are a few tricks that have helped us keep our sanity as well as help the little guy enjoy his time.

1) Let Sleeping Dogs Lie: Infants and Toddlers are sleepers and as they get a little bit older their napping patterns become less convenient and most will fall asleep at the most inopportune time. The fastest way to ruin a fishing trip is to wake up the baby. But letting the baby sleep means that plans have to change. We’ll find a place on the stream or river that is right next to the road, get our gear together, roll the windows down, and fish that stretch of the stream, never letting the car out of our sight and regularly checking back in on the car and the kid. NEVER LEAVE A CHILD IN THE CAR WITH THE WINDOWS ROLLED UP AND ALWAYS ATTEND TO THE CAR REGULARLY AND ROUTINELY. EVEN FIVE MINUTES IN A HOT CAR CAN BE DEADLY. Yes, this means that your fishing quality may be lower, but it sure beats rushing to the hospital because you wanted to get one more cast in. 2) Keep It Short: Attention span for kids can be short, and yet they can sit and watch hours of the same cartoon over and over again (we don’t understand it either). When the little one is ready to go you may get in a few casts but don’t force the issue beyond that. Sometimes it can get frustrating that you’ve driven for an hour and a half and only get to fish for forty-five minutes. However, it is a lot more frustrating to try to fish with a child that’s crying and miserable. 3) Don’t Plan on Catching Fish: It’s a shame that we’re going out fishing and we don’t catch any because we’re focusing on making sure that the little one is safe. Go into this planning on not catching fish and you won’t be disappointed and when you do catch a fish chock it up to be an amazing fisherman and the stars aligning just for you. 4) Give Them Something to Do: Come up with activities and games to keep them entertained while you’re throwing dries to that finicky Brown Trout that’s been eluding you all day. Find 10 rocks, how many leaves are on the tree, etc. It gives them the opportunity to learn and explore their world and gives you the chance to throw a few flies. Don’t get upset, though, when those rocks find their way into the stream!

5) Be Prepared: Bring snacks, extra clothes, diapers, pacifiers, etc. Have plenty of the necessities. You’ll be amazed when your three year old falls asleep on the car ride to the fishing hole, and even though they haven’t had an accident during a nap for months, he wakes up and his pants are wet. Having an extra set of clothes on hand will go a long way with making the trip better, having sweets will take it even further. 6) Keep Them Safe: The best way to ruin a fishing tip with a little one is for something to happen to them that could potentially hurt them or even kill them. Know the water that you’ll be fishing and prepare for something worse. Depending on the water, we’ll keep ourselves within feet of the little guy to tying a rope to ourselves and a life vest that he’s wearing. And sometimes keeping them safe is saying “no” to them coming along. For us, Big Cottonwood Creek in Big Cottonwood Canyon is a definitive no for our little guy-adults with better sense than our three year old die in that canyon. These are just a few of the things that have made fishing with our little guy enjoyable and an activity that we’ll enjoy together for years to come. As always, Good Luck and Guid Luck!!